


To Fix The Falling

by broken_hearted_bard



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Genre: Canon - Canon Divergence, F/F, Future!Willow, Mentions Character Death (Tara), Season/Series 06, Spoilers for S06E19 - Seeing Red, Time Travel, spoilers for season six
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-04
Updated: 2016-04-04
Packaged: 2018-05-31 06:27:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,164
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6459490
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/broken_hearted_bard/pseuds/broken_hearted_bard
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Future!Willow (Captain Illa Rosen) goes back in time to save Tara.</p><p> </p><p>The scene between Spike and Buffy never happens here (canon divergence) and Willow gets a visit from herself from the future.</p><p>Mentions: Willow/Buffy (Willow/FaithInBuffy'sBody)<br/>Some dialogue taken directly from the show.</p><p>END NOTE SPOILS THIS FICLET. Read it after!</p>
            </blockquote>





	To Fix The Falling

Willow pulls her laptop closer to her on the bed and sighs. She's basking in the afterglow of her and Tara getting back together, but really needs to do this work instead.

Buffy is in the bathroom, and Dawn is asleep in her room and Tara's down in the kitchen getting a snack -- but the house is quiet. When they aren't all over each other in relief, in love, in togetherness, in a renewing of their affections, they are hard at work trying to unlock the Trio's plans and so, it's been a long day.

She taps some more keys in her effort to figure out what's going on, but is interrupted when a bright, white light envelopes the bedroom. When the light recedes, a woman, with an eerily familiar face, is standing in Willow's room, facing her.

Willow jumps off the bed. "Who are you and what do you want!?" she cries.

"You may call me...Captain," the woman quips with a slight smile.

The Sound of Music reference isn't lost on Willow, but still she doesn't let her guard slip. "Okay, Captain lady, what do you want?"

The woman steps forward, into the lighted area of the bedroom and brushes her very pale hair behind her ears.

Willow gasps. "Are you a robot or something?" she asks breathlessly.

"No. And I don't have much in the way of time, ironically enough, for questions," the Captain replies.

"But...but..you are...you know...me, right?" Willow stutters.

"Yes. From the future. Captain Illa Rosen, at your service," Illa responds.

"Captain?" Willow squeaks.

"Yes, it's a long story. But, like I said...no time. I'm here for a reason. In the future, my life gets really complicated. There are good things and bad things, but the bad things can be prevented if you save Tara," Illa says.

"Save Tara from what?"

Illa gives a great sigh and then lowers herself into the chair in the corner. "Sit down," she commands.

Willow obeys, sinking onto the bed with a sigh of her own.

"Tomorrow, in the morning, Warren Mears will bring a gun to this house. To the yard. He'll shoot Buffy. And in so doing, a bullet will hit Tara. She will die. Nothing will bring her back -- not even magick," Illa explains in a rush.

"How do I know you're telling the truth?"

Illa's eyes narrow into a glare. This was a valid question, but one she wasn't sure of how to answer. Here, in this time, Willow was the type of girl who didn't really have secrets. She told everyone everything, at this point in her timeline, and what she didn't share she'd usually experienced with Xander.

"Let's see..." Ill mutters, mostly to herself. "Yellow crayon won't work, exactly...it hasn't happened yet. And maybe, if you save Tara, it never will. Believe me, that's a good thing. Okay, okay, I can do this. Crush on Angel all of Sophomore year of High School, crush on Giles on and off, too, not actually a crush on Xander, just curiosity -- you weren't in love with him, like you thought. You didn't understand real love until Oz. Still Oz, in many ways he'll always be yours, be a part of you. Tara, forever. Ah ha! Experimentation with girls, first time, very hot, with Buffy...but at the time Faith was in Buffy's body. While you were dating Tara -- but you and she weren't official then, not yet."

Willow holds up her hands. "Okay, okay, I don't want to hear anymore. I am Slutty McSlutterson, I get it."

Illa shakes her head. "You're not slutty, and even if you were -- who cares? That doesn't matter, in the long run. They're all feelings and experiences and they all shape who you are. You use protection and you try to be careful not to hurt people. You're just....you're not as monogamous as you seem to believe. But, anyway, that's beside the point."

"What is the point then?" Willow asks.

"Tara dies tomorrow. Save her," Illa says bluntly.

"Okay, but...how?"

"Good question," Illa responds. "You have to be here, to save Buffy, but not until after -- once the paramedics are called. You save Buffy's life. Without you, she dies, again. I've seen it already. But, Tara doesn't have to be here in the morning. Make some excuse. Dawn and Tara, they both need to be away. It might affect other things, or have an effect on them, it might not. Someone else may end up dead. That's a risk you'll have to take."

Willow nods.

Illa stands. She shifts her hands around in gestures that Willow doesn't recognize and the blinding white light appears again.

"Do you have to go? Couldn't you stay and...help?" Willow pleads.

Illa smiles, but her smile is dangerous. "No. I can't. I don't belong here. If we're lucky, I never will," she replies before stepping into the white light.

A few moments later, after the white light has dissipated, Tara comes back into the room.

Willow gestures to the computer. "It's all a mess, these encrypted files," she says.

"Well, Willow, honey, these things take time. We'll figure it out," Tara replies.

Willow shrugs. "Sure. We'll decipher codes, foil evil schemes..."

"Stay out of bed for longer than snack-time..." Tara trails off in a laugh.

"I was with you up until there. No, but seriously..." Willow looks back at the computer. "Wow, something's happening."

"What is it?" Tara asks as she sits next to the laptop on the bed.

"Uh, one of their data CDs. It's filled with encrypted blueprints, schematics..."

"To what?" Tara asks.

"I'm not sure. The designations have been stripped," Willow replies.

"Maybe we can cross-reference them with the county clerk's office," Tara offers.

A smile blooms on Willow's face. "Yes, we can exactly do that. Let's start, though, by my packing a bag. We'll head to your dorm room for the rest of the night and I'll get up early in the morning to get the info. Campus is much closer to the County Clerk's office than here," she says.

Tara laughs. "Isn't it a little late to leave? Won't they be worried?"

"Nah. They'll be fine. Dawn's off to school in the morning, Buffy probably has work too. We'll go tonight, that way we can get it done faster tomorrow," Willow explains as she grabs her duffle bag and begins shoving in the things she'll need.

"Okay," Tara replies.

"Good, great," Willow says. She packs up her laptop and hands Tara her clothes. As Tara begins to dress, Willow looks around for her own clothes.

Dressed, Tara turns to look at Willow. "I'll meet you down at the car," she says as she hefts Willow's duffle bag.

"Sure, yeah. I'll let Buffy know," Willow responds.

When Willow is finally dressed, she turns to look around at the room. "Please, please let this save you," she says to no one in particular.

***

And it does.

**********************

END

**Author's Note:**

> So, in case you wondered...  
> FICLET SPOILERS
> 
> Willow/Tara figure out what the Trio is up to that night (after Willow decides to hack into the County Clerk's office, instead of just going there), and call Buffy to tell her. Buffy then thwarts the Trio's plans (the robbery), angering Warren. This puts the timeline back on track, but Tara's not at the Summer's when the shooting goes down, so she doesn't die. 
> 
> But, Xander and Buffy both get shot -- Willow is the one who calls the paramedics. Happily, Willow is able to save them both, with magick, while they are in surgery.


End file.
